The Armoury, Stockport

There are two bars in the Armoury, the one to the left is served by a counter to the right that supports three hand pumps that were drawing Robinson’s Unicorn (x2) and Dizzy Blonde. The keg options are Coors, Carling and Hopnik Citra IPA. Banquette seating runs along the front wall and halfway up the left wall. There is a dartboard on the rear wall. There is another room at the rear with seating and another dartboard above a fireplace. The right hand bar has an L-shaped serving counter that supports four more handpumps that were also drawing Unicorn and Dizzy. More keg. In addition to lots more banquette seating is an impressive copper fireplace. Both bars have televisions that were off. I was the only customer during a recent Tuesday evening visit so the barmaid was entertaining herself by watching the Depp v Heard trial on her i-pad (or whatever the big screen thingy is called these days). Yes I was the only customer, but I liked it in here as it has a friendliness about it, no problem going back.

Located a short stroll from Stockport station, this is a nice, welcoming Robinson's pub with a simple two bar layout. Turning right from the entrance lobby, you enter into the main bar which is carpeted and has some great curved banquette seating around the perimeter which forms into independent booths of sorts. To the right there is a very attractive fireplace with an old brass hood underneath a collection of regimental insignia and other such memorabilia. The servery is to the rear left and has a pleasing curved dark wood counter and smart bar back. Decor is rounded off with a few excellent old brewery mirrors dotted around the room and a large TV screen which was showing a football highlights programme with music playing in the background. The left hand bar has limited seating and a relatively short section of bar and was most notable for its dartboard and impressive trophy cabinet. Both rooms boast some attractive etched glass windows and the pub has achieved a nice balancing act between a traditional pub and a modern day venue which seems to have gone down well with the locals as there was a good crowd in on our Friday evening visit. There were four Robinson's beer on the bar, so not the widest of showcases for the brewery, although they did have one beer on that I don't recall seeing elsewhere, namely Mercian Volunteers - a charity brew that lined up alongside Trooper, Dizzy Blonde and Unicorn. I think I tried them all except the Unicorn over our extended visit here and from what I recall, they were all in pretty good nick. The barmaid who served me each time was very friendly, as were some of the locals congregated around the bar. This is far from the best pub in Stockport but is nevertheless a solid, dependable kind of place that I could easily imagine enjoying regularly if it was my local. I found the pub very friendly and comfortable and the beer well kept, which is really all you can ask for. Well worth a look on your way to or from the station.

A well supported locals pub, where on our visit I noticed one of the bar staff respectfully aiding an elderly chap across the busy junction, most probably on his way home. I found this pub to be comfortable, with decent seating areas and carpeted throughout. The main features in the main bar area was the brass 1920's brass fireplace and the brass foot plate, around the bottom of the bar. I went for the Unicorn which was good condition and priced reasonably.